London restaurateurs reflect on a year of lockdown: ‘Trying to steer the ship in any direction is incredibly tough’

Twelve months after the Prime Minister first closed the country, the restaurant business has been irrevocably changed
Endless change: the past year has been marked by repeated, costly closures and reopenings
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David Ellis @dvh_ellis22 March 2021

The first lockdown had the hallmarks of hangover that worsens instead of clears. It arrived foggily, and things thickened from there. After a week of lockdown rumours, on March 16, a Tuesday, the Prime Minister told the country that “now is the time for everyone to stop non-essential contact and travel”. Businesses scrambled as staff began working from home. Restaurants, pubs and bars were left wondering what to do.

“I closed before the official lockdown because I just thought, you know: ‘what is the government doing?’” says Asma Khan now, looking back. “Paris had shut down, New York had shut down, Germany had shut down. And I thought that if every place is shutting down, they’re losing control over the situation.”

With Johnson telling people to stay at home, businesses were in the lurch, not ordered to shut until the Friday, March 20. Many had stayed open but empty, losing money and uncertain if their insurance would pay out without a forced closure. “Our last week of business at Le Gavroche, business was nill, we did nothing,” says Michel Roux Jr. “And there was no support forthcoming.”

The uncertainty of that time – when no-one knew what to expect, there was no clear end in sight, “pivoting the business” was a phrase that had until then been kept to Ted Talks, and meal kits didn’t exist – made it the hardest, says Homeslice co-founder Mark Wogan. “The lowest point was obviously shutting the restaurants, especially when the first lockdown was announced,” Wogan remembers. “Of course, if you haven’t had a moment this year where you thought ‘I can’t do this anymore’, you might well be dead from the neck up.”

Since then, it’s been a well documented roller coaster of openings, costly closures, a busy summer and a deserted winter. “When we have been allowed to be open, we have never been busier, thanks to our ‘Covid-Secure’ credentials and some fun activations like our Champagne robots and the new dining pods at Gaucho,” says M and Gaucho owner Martin Williams, “When we have been forced to close, we have focused on looking after and engaging with our people, supporting our 750 staff financially, offering mental health support and encouraging both physical exercise and education.” 

The personal toll has been heavy, with operators scrambling to find ways to stay afloat, small and big names alike. “As a business owner, father, husband it’s been a challenge. Trying to stir the ship in any direction and keep positive is incredibly tough,” says Richard Corrigan. “It’s built up a lot of loyalty though, with suppliers, landlords, staff and of course, customers. The messages of genuine support and concern I receive from our guests is pretty astonishing.” 

There have been successes. Hawksmoor and Pizza Pilgrims have both put together “at home” boxes that seem to be flourishing (in the case of Pizza Pilgrims, they’ve done well enough over the past year that four new sites are opening soon), while Adam Handling says Hame, his high-end kits, saved his businesses from bankruptcy.

If you haven’t had a moment this year where you thought ‘I can’t do this anymore’, you might well be dead from the neck up.

Mark Wogan

“One of the most positive things for me was seeing how well the Homeslice team reacted, and worked hard to insure that we carried on going,” says Wogan, “This year really helped us to look at our business and we used this time to change things we always wanted to change, and develop new products such as the Take and Bake, which is now nationwide.” 

There are still those fighting to open fully sooner than May – earlier this week, Punch Taverns founder Hugh Osmond joined Sacha Lord, Greater Manchester’s night time economy adviser, threatening to take the government to court on the grounds that opening non-essential retail ahead of hospitality is inherently unfair. But for many, there is a feeling now that it’s simply time to get on with things. And the wheels are turning: this week came news of Henry Harris joining the Wright Brothers, Patty & Bun have found a permanent site for their chicken spinoff Sidechick, and former Elystan Street chef Thomas Straker has announced his first solo restaurant, opening in Queen’s Park later this year. Two Tribes are opening a firepit-and-beer space outdoors in King’s Cross. Jobs are returning too, with recruitment across hospitality up almost 40 per cent in the past month alone.

Ultimately, though, there is an itching for everyone to be back doing what they love. As Corrigan says, “I just can’t wait to get everything open, the team back to work and to rebuild once again.”

Rebuild they will: you can’t keep a good place down.

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